A/N: English is not my first language so my attempt at adding some slang/dialect in the soldiers speech might look very very weird/out of place/wrong, (it is supposed to be close to South-West English somehow).
Constructive criticism is very appreciated.

Chapter IIII: A call

Urû'baen, the King's chambers

Galbatorix paced his room, restless.

'Murtagh!' He yelled.

'Yes, my Lord'. A shady figure appeared from the dark.

'Bring me the map'.

The man bowed and exited the room, only to return a few minutes later with a large papyrus map. He climber near the King's bed and, kneeling down, he offered him the object of his request.

The elder man seemed to pay no attention to him as his dark eyes immediately focused on the chart. He followed the lines of ridges and rivers with his index finger, tracing the edge of the Elves' domains. The map needs to be updated, he thought.

Sighing in annoyance, he unknowingly sent a shiver down the young man's spine. Murtagh's dark oily hair clutched at his temples as he stood to his King's bedside, his head lowered in an ever-present bow. 'Anything else you require of me?' He asked hesitantly, hoping the other would merely send him away.

The King did not reply for a while and Murtagh grew wary of his response. 'I think I will visit Durza sometime soon,' he announced. 'In the meantime, take care of my stables'.

Murtagh curtsied and, taking his Kings' words as a hint, he left the room.

Galbatorix went back to his previous occupation of studying the map and again he sighed at the sight of the Elven domains. Serious corrections needed to be made to that part and with that purpose in mind he rose from his bed and walked over to his dressing room.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror he adjusted his cravat and put on a golden striped black cloak. His lack of hair had not affected his attractiveness; in fact, it accentuated the dark sparkle in his coal eyes.

It had been seven days since he had seen Durza and the Shade had yet to report anything new. Time to pay him a visit, Galbatorix thought as he mentally called his Dragon to his side. Shruikan flew to his Master and the Dragon Rider hopped on his back. Without hesitation, he left Urû'baen directed towards Gil'ead.

It was not every day that a King would make the journey to meet his servant and usually such days did not bring good news. This time, however, Galbatorix had one more pressing reason for flying there and he dashed through the night at full speed.


Gil'ead, Arya's cell

In her unconscious state Arya shivered in the dark and humid cell. She had been left hanging from the ceiling, feet suspended above the ground and bleeding cuts stretched open by gravity. The Shade had had so much compassion to him as to heal the worst wounds, in order to prevent her from dying of blood loss.

She heard the clatter of the soldiers outside the door and she knew that Durza was not among them; the Spectre had a peculiar aura following him around wherever he went, announcing his presence.

A key twisted in the door and it sprung open, giving a group of armed men access to the room.

Arya kept her eyes shut, her conscience swinging on the edge of her mental barriers. There was a slim chance that a Magician might be among them and she did not want to risk anything slipping through her mind.

The men spread inside the room, undoubtedly afraid of approaching her. Why did he not send Urgals to do the job? She thought as a hesitant hand touched her wrists and started unlocking them. The rattling sound of metal hitting the ground soon reverberated through the room as the shackles fell to the ground. Similarly, she limply fell onto the floor; partly pretending, partly not, that she was too weak to stand or even regain consciousness. The pain that sprang in her mind as her body hit the cold stone cracked her forehead with furrows, which the men did not notice. Instead, one of them cursed at the one who had released her and proceeded to pick her up.

'For Heaven's sake! She's a'ready in a bad shape, ye know! Don't want the Master to be upset we accidentally broke his toy, uh'. He inspected Arya's dirty face, moving a strand of hair out of the way.

The Elven princess lay still in his arms, eyes closed and her breaths long and regular despite the pain coming from her cuts. She was, to the man, beautiful like any other supernatural being from her race and the soldier took a moment too long to place her back on the stony bed which was allocated to her. Even if it wasn't animalistic lust, like that of the Shade, his face still betrayed the platonic reverence he felt for the Elf.

Upon noticing his expression, one of his companion pulled him by the arm. 'Com'on Phil, let this bitch rest an' let's go grab some booze downtown'.

Two more of the guards voiced their assent with grunts and the man called Phil seemed to retreat with them. 'The Master won't like it if we take action without his permission,' another one said.

'Orders be to untie her and if conscious let'n know, otherwise just put her on the slab until he's back, he zaid'.

So, Durza was away? Arya took a mental note. Either way she was in no state to attempt an escape. She wished, although with little hope, that he did not come back before she had recovered enough strength to put up a fight. Despite his lack of visits, the magic-preventing drug was still in effect and a magician had been carefully administering her daily doses of Skilna Bragh and antidote. There was nowhere for her to run if not in the arms of death even once she escaped Gil'ead.

She heard the soldiers fumbling with the keys and then they were out. Arya still did not move nor leave her semi-conscious state; it helped her keep the pain at bay, even if only partially. She pondered her possibilities and with each new observation, an escape seemed more and more unreal. She wanted to cry, for the pain and the distress caused by her current situation. Instead, she forced herself to keep a cool attitude towards her fate. Arya was a cold calculative Elf and that was what was going to keep her alive there, if anything.

The egg is safe, she reminded herself with a smile even as the burning cuts tormented her skin. She might have not known where exactly the egg had ended up to, but she was sure she had at least gotten it as far away from the Shade's grasp as possible. It might even have hatched already if by a miraculous chance it had found a valid Rider.

And…did the soldiers mention that Durza was away? Arya cautiously allowed her conscience to expand and explore her surroundings. Within her unconscious state she had managed to recover a bit of mental strength, enough to perceive other people's presence even at distance. It seemed that the men were telling the truth as she could not distinctively pick the Shade's aura out anywhere near her. He might have been watching her from the distance though, given his immense powers. It would have been a real shame to lose control of her mind now, but this was an occasion which might not happen again.

Arya cautiously dared to move a little further out, pearly sweat already covering her forehead. She sensed arcane spells and magical defences surrounding the fortress; she could see that most of them were made for keeping things out, not in. Hence, she pushed forward, careful to not step on anything which could trigger an alarm in the Shade's mind. She circumvented a trap and jumped out into the fields, free at least to roam with her mind power. Without wasting a single instant, she launched forward and searched the world of the men for Brom's presence.

The old man lived in a tiny village called Carvahall close to the Spine. It was several miles from Gil'ead but she had to try and reach him. With a sprint she visualised the little town, yet just as she was starting to feel closer to his aura her strength waned and she began slipping back into her cell. In a desperate attempt to leave at least a message, she focused all of her forces on her task, leaving her mind exposed to attacks for a brief second and directed a stream of energy and images in what she though was Brom's direction. Then all went black.